


Tzuyu's Wish

by twicesgrey



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Fantasy, Gen, Little Tzuyu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2020-11-27 15:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20950475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twicesgrey/pseuds/twicesgrey
Summary: In 2005, Tzuyu met a woman while waiting for her mom to pick her up from her friend's birthday party. Little did 5 year old Tzuyu know that telling the woman about her wish would change her life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

April 2005

Tzuyu kicked the sand gently with her left foot and sent sand flying back to her when a gust of wind blew them in her direction. Now Tzuyu had sand in her shoes. She didn't bother removing them. Instead, she sat down on the swing, planted her feet firmly on the sand and pushed until her legs were fully stretched. She grasped the chains holding up the swing tighter and then bent her knees while lifting her feet in the process, the sudden movement propelling her forward.

Tzuyu loved the wind against her face because it cooled her down in this summer heat.

She kept going higher and higher until her arms and hands grew tired. She came to a full stop, admired the tree a couple of meters away from her while her head rested on her left hand which was still grasping the chain.

She was waiting for her mother to pick her up.

A soft voice startled Tzuyu "May I sit down?" Tzuyu turned her head to see a woman standing beside her, holding the chain on the other swing.

Tzuyu nodded her head once and the woman smiled at her, quietly took a seat on the swing and started swinging lightly.

"Such a beautiful day today, isn't it?" Tzuyu looked at the woman. She didn't know how to respond to that because she wasn't feeling the 'beautiful' in this moment.

"What's gotten you so down, sweetheart?"

Tzuyu reminded herself that she should not be talking to strangers but she was feeling unwell.

"I went to my friend's birthday party."

"Did you not enjoy it?"

"I did. The cake was really good but something in my chest hurts."

"What sort of pain do you feel?" The woman asked calmly but there was obvious worry in her tone.

"I dunno. It's not like an ouch when my brother hit me with a ball that one time but like an ouch that makes me sad inside and I don't want to smile."

There was a few seconds of silence until the woman started to talk again.

"When did you start feeling the ouch?"

"Earlier, when we sang happy birthday and then my friend's sisters started hugging her and kissing her and they were very sweet."

"Oh, sweetheart."

Tzuyu had no idea why the woman had said that and she didn't bother asking because she was even more sad after remembering what happened.

"You don't have any sisters?"

"No. Just a brother. He's annoying."

"Do you want a sister?"

"Are you going to replace my brother?"

The woman chuckled before answering. "No, sweetheart. Even if you think he's annoying, when you get older, he's going to be the best brother you could ever wish for."

Tzuyu had major doubts about that.

"If you could have one wish, what would it be?"

"If I tell you, they won't come true."

"Perhaps they will."

_What if she was right_, Tzuyu thought.

"I want a sister. No! Wait! I want a lot of sisters. I bet they smell better too. My friends' sisters always hug me when I see them and they smell like fruits and candy."

Now Tzuyu was smiling. She really wanted a sister she can play with.

"Well, how many do you want?"

"Uhm, maybe 2? My friend has two older sisters and they all play a lot."

"Two is a good number. I had 8 sisters. We were loud but happy. We played often when we were younger. We made a lot of fun memories."

"Eight? That's a lot! I want eight too!"

Tzuyu was suddenly excited at the prospect of 8 sisters and she started to imagine all the fun games they could play.

"Give me a number."

She didn't even think twice when she blurted out "Eight!" in excitement.

"Eight. Okay, that's a good number."

"It is!"

Tzuyu suddenly felt lighter at the idea of having 8 sister.

A car suddenly stopped in front of them and shortly after, the driver's side door opened. It was Tzuyu's mom picking her up.

Tzuyu got up as fast she could and ran towards her mom at lightning speed, crashed against her and wrapped her long arms around her mom, setting her back a step.

"Wow. looks like you had a lot of fun."

"I did! The cake was delicious, mom!" Tzuyu couldn't help but smile at the thought of her friends birthday cake.

Tzuyu's mom chuckled and patted her head.

"I can't believe I just dropped you off two hours ago and now it seems like you already grew as tall as that tree."

Tzuyu laughed at her mom who was pointing at the same tree she was admiring earlier.

"That's impossible, mom!"

"Nothing is impossible, sweetheart."

This reminded Tzuyu of the woman she was talking to earlier so she looked back at the swings and found that the woman was already gone.

"Did you forget anything?"

She forgot to say goodbye to the nice woman but she couldn't tell her mom she was talking to a stranger.

"Nope."

"Let's go then?"

Tzuyu nodded then opened the car door and hopped in with a huge smile on her face.

Eight sisters. Eight. What fun would it be to have eight sisters, Tzuyu thought. Crazy. It would be absolutely crazy. Still, she wanted them. All eight of them.

***


	2. Chapter 2 2012.11.15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Korea, Tzuyu!

Tzuyu was still in disbelief. She's really on her way to Korea. She was gripping the arm rests tightly her knuckles almost turning white. She barely noticed the slight turbulence because her mind was focused only on one thing - how was she supposed to survive when she doesn't speak a lick of Korean.

Of course she was briefed about the things that would happen when she officially signed with the company - attend language classes, dance and vocal lessons, and other things to hone her idol skills.

Tzuyu really couldn't believe it, she's going to train to become an idol.

She looks to her left, where a woman is sleeping, looking like she's almost the same age as her mom. Her whole family has been so busy helping her with her move to a different country these past few weeks and she's been extremely grateful. She couldn't ask for better parents who were understanding and supportive.

Tzuyu closed her eyes and remembered her family when they sent her off earlier. Her mother in particular, suddenly looked older than she remembered. She didn't want to but suddenly Tzuyu felt a pang of pain.

She's going to miss her family. Even her annoying brother, who turned out to be awesome at times, really stepped up to help her. Even if Tzuyu doesn't want to admit it, she's going to miss him too.

She thought about the friends that she'll leave behind. She's going to miss school, playing her instrument at the club, her family, and Gucci. She felt a tightening in her throat and to Tzuyu's surprise, a huge tear ran down her cheek before she could stop it. It was so heavy she felt it land on her pant leg.

She has no idea when she'll see Gucci again. He was crying and wouldn't leave her side the past weeks as if he knew that she was going to leave him. He even slept in her bed every night. This morning, she woke up to Gucci snugly tucked under her chin and when her Dad drove them to the airport, her furry friend never left her lap.

A flight attendant passing by stopped beside Tzuyu, breaking her train of thoughts, and quietly asked her if everything was okay or if she needed anything. Tzuyu was fine and told the stewardess so.

Tzuyu quietly got up to go the comfort room but it was occupied. The same attendant found Tzuyu and asked if she was in a hurry to go. She really didn't need to, she just wanted some time to herself.

"Moving is never easy. Particularly at such a young age." the attendant says quietly.

Tzuyu looked at the woman and silently waited for her to speak again.

"What's your name?" the woman asked softly.

"Tzuyu. My name is Tzuyu."

"Your name tells me you're going places, Tzuyu. Many many places."

She couldn't help but return the warm smile given to her and deep down, Tzuyu felt her mood lift instantly.

"I have a good feeling I'll be seeing a lot of you and your sisters."

Sisters? Tzuyu was confused. She only had one sibling - a brother.

Before she could correct the woman, the door to the lavatory opened and the occupant came out. Tzuyu looked back in the direction where flight attendant stood but she wasn't beside her anymore.

As odd and as confusing as what the woman has said, Tzuyu couldn't be more scared by the fact that at thirteen, she's going to be living in a foreign land by herself and she knew, from here on out things will be a challenge and she could really use the comfort of family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Commemorating Tzuyu's 7th year in JYPE.


	3. Chapter 3

Korean language class had just ended and Tzuyu was in the middle of packing up her notes when a staff called her from the door, telling her that she was being summoned for a meeting.

Tzuyu hurried and followed right behind the manager. Before she knocked on the office door where company higher ups gathered, Tzuyu took in a deep breath. She was nervous because trainees weren't randomly called to this office.

Tzuyu raised her hand to knock but just before her knuckles hit the door, it swung open and a male manager almost bumped into Tzuyu. He let her in before leaving and Tzuyu was taken aback, not only by the number of people in the room, but by the sheer magnitude of how 'high' ranked these officials are. The highest ranked of them all, PD-nim himself and the CEO.

She clutched her backpack straps tighter, now feeling vulnerable in her track pants and oversized tee in front of a sea of suits. She was supposed to head to vocal lessons and then dance class not...this scene.

Even though she felt a bit intimidated and nervous, she was even more curious. Looking around the room, people were looking intently at her, one woman was almost scrutinizing her.

_Oh no, what if they're sending me home?_

Suddenly, she felt scared and it probably showed. PD-nim came to her rescue by standing up and calling her over to the seat beside him on the long conference table.

"Tzuyu, have you just finished class?" the PD had a fatherly smile plastered on his face, which Tzuyu was grateful for, because in the midst of this sea of suits, he was the most relaxed in a regular grey shirt and jeans. It made Tzuyu instantly feel at ease.

"Yes, I just came from my Korean language class." a manager was holding the seat out for Tzuyu and she thanked him before sitting down.

"So, we just spoke to your parents," yep, I'm definitely going to get sent home, Tzuyu thought to herself, bracing herself from the oncoming onslaught of emotions.

"We want you to join a reality survival show." Tzuyu was still holding her breath. Not sure if she heard it right.

When she didn't speak, the PD continued, "You already know about the show but we decided to switch the line-up of trainees who will join and we all agreed," he gestures to nobody in particular but more towards the whole room of people, "that you should join the final line-up."

Shock. That's what Tzuyu was going through. Then scared. She barely got through the day with her limited Korean but what if she humiliates herself in front of thousands of viewers?

"We just got off the phone with your parents and they said they were on board if you would say yes." now the PD was waiting for her decision.

There's really no room for her to say 'no'. "Yes, of course, I would love to join."

The PD clapped his hands together once before dropping them on the table in front of him, "Welcome aboard, Tzuyu."

Tzuyu left the room after a brief meeting but only after she arrived at the dance practice studio, watching all the amazing trainees dance, did she realize that she's going to compete with all these amazing people and how this could change her life forever because the last thing she remembered was them telling her that if she doesn't make it, she'll be sent home immediately.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tzuyu gets life lessons from a stranger...or is he really what he says he is?

Tzuyu ran out of the dance practice studio. It all felt stuffy despite the cool air from the air-conditioning unit. 

She walked until she reached the exit stairwell where a window was open. She stuck her head out and filled her lungs with the city air she's now accustomed to and loved.

Until a voice broke her meditation.

"The air is quite good up here, isn't it?" Tzuyu turned around to see an old gentleman from the maintenance department, changing the bulb from a floor above where she stands.

"We're not supposed to open those windows," he says while carefully coming down from his ladder. The old man carefully folded his ladder and gathered it in his arms before carefully descending. "but fresh air does you good when all you've been inhaling is air from air conditioners."

He finally arrived in the same landing as Tzuyu, set up his ladder near the bulb and started taking out a new bulb from a box in his tool kit.

"Everything all right, miss Tzuyu?" She was surprised that he knew her name. There were a lot trainees and staff in this building and she barely interacted with the old man herself. Still, Tzuyu felt like she could talk to him so that's what she did.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Have you been here long?"

"Been here since the beginning." his smile was big and proud.

"How come I feel like we've met before but just saw you today."

The man heartily laughed before answering, "it's because I look like every grandpa in this country."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-,"

"No need to apologize." he starts to climb his ladder and Tzuyu automatically reaches out to hold the ladder to keep it sturdy.

"When I was your age, I didn't notice older people either. My eyes naturally wandered to people my age, things that interested me personally. As I got older, I started to look beyond what was in front of me, what's within arms reach." Tzuyu watched him twist the old bulb out of its socket, put it in his jacket pocket and replace it with a new one from his pocket on the other side of his standard company issued overall.

"There's a form of life balance you'll learn along the way as you grow older - looking to the future and being able to appreciate and live in the moment. It's one of the perks of growing up, miss Tzuyu."

He calmly takes his steps down the ladder and once his feet are firmly back on the concrete floor, he deposits the old bulb in the empty box in his toolbox.

"I used to do this a lot faster. Now it takes me a lot more time and energy to change a single bulb. This is only the ninth one in the hour." they both look up at the fresh bulb overhead.

"I never thought about the people who changed the bulbs in this building. I simply didn't think there was so much maintenance work around her. Thank you for keeping the building in good shape." Tzuyu is now completely relaxed than she was a couple minutes ago.

"I'm happy to still be here after so many years. Meeting new people every day. This building is getting old just like me. Soon there's going to be a new one."

"If so, then I hope to see you in the new building." Tzuyu sincerely felt that she's found a new friend.

"I will be there, miss Tzuyu." he starts to gather his stuff, moving to his next stop. "I will cheer for you and your sisters." he rounds the corner, completely out of sight.

Sisters? Tzuyu wondered whether the old man mistook her for someone else.

Since she feels lighter now, Tzuyu heads back to the practice room, mood uplifted and actually feeling elated to share the good news with her friends.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something has been brewing yet Tzuyu doesn't even have an inkling.

Tzuyu doesn't remember being this busy besides the monthly evaluations for trainees. She felt like there was so much to do in so little time in preparation for the reality show.

If Tzuyu was being honest with herself, she really wanted to win the competition but she was also conditioning herself to just do her best even if fortune doesn't turn in her favour. It's part of being realistic. She's going to compete with friends who have trained for longer in their respective fields of interest, some who were already groomed to debut and have already branched out to some degree of professional work that's beyond trainee capabilities.

Tzuyu had her fair share of those but the competition is tough. What she didn't anticipate is how difficult it would be to compete with friends. Their whole futures were at stake and that scared her the most.

Still, they pushed through, prepared hard for a chance of living their dream.

It was the first day of taping and the whole waiting room was filled with tension, excitement, and fear. Tzuyu couldn't even bring herself to look around the room out of sheer nervousness.

When they were called out backstage, Tzuyu didn't remember how she got there. There were stage managers going about and stylists checking their hair, make up, and outfits.

One stylist came to her side. Since she was taller, Tzuyu bent her knees a bit to make it easier for the stylist.

The unnie laughed and it eased Tzuyu's tension a bit.

"Just be yourself. You're going to do great." Tzuyu tried to see the stylists' face in the dark but all she could clearly make out was teeth and a smile.

"On stand-by, in 3, 2 -"

"Go get 'em number 9." Tzuyu turned her head once again to the stylist but all she could see was her retreating back.

Was that for me? Tzuyu thought to herself. Are they assigned a number by staff?

Before she could think anything of it, the huge partitions that separated them from the main stage opened before them.

The stage lights were blinding but they all started moving forward one by one.

"This is it," Tzuyu tried to put on a smile, not sure if her facial muscles were coordinating, "just be yourself."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Tzuyu's dream start to meld with her nightmares...and her nightmare starts to bleed into her real life.

_"Do you see them?" a soft feminine voice asks Tzuyu. She wasn't sure were she was because everything looked hazy._

_"What do you mean?" she was confused where the voice was coming from. Was she hallucinating? Since the first elimination happened, Tzuyu found it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. She kept getting these dreams that leave her sweating and scared in the middle of the night._

_"The girl over there, what's her name?"_

_Tzuyu tried her best to see through the haze, "It's Nayeon unnie."_

_"And the one beside her?"_

_"That's Jihyo unnie." Tzuyu was sure even thought the two looked different._

_"And the rest?"_

_The haze was so thick Tzuyu was starting to have a headache trying to see all the people. "Mina unnie, Dahyun unnie, Jeongyeon unnie, Sana unnie is standing behind Momo unnie, and there's my friend, Chaeyoung."_

_There was someone Chaeyoung was talking to but Tzuyu couldn't figure out who it was. She waited, willing for the other to turn around, unsure whether it was a fellow trainee._

_Finally, she could see the person turn around slowly, laughing with Chaeyoung. Tzuyu found it odd that everything was moving in slow motion. Maybe she was really dreaming._

_Tzuyu wished she was dreaming because once she could make out the face of the other person talking to Chaeyoung, Tzuyu couldn't believe her eyes. There, a few meters from her stood another Tzuyu._

_This Tzuyu was older, she realized. She looked around and thought everyone looked a lot different. Jeongyeon had blue hair and that made Tzuyu smile._

_She was so happy to notice that Chaeyoung grew out her hair. It was longer and wavy. It really suited her._

_The female voice came back which startled Tzuyu._

_"Your sisters are happy."_

_Tzuyu wanted to see who the voice belonged to but she couldn't look away from the other Tzuyu._

_"We are. It's best when we're nine."_

_"It's best when we're nine." echoed the feminine voice._

_Tzuyu turned to her left and was in complete shock when she finds another Tzuyu beside her. A different version of her with blonde hair, more prominent cheekbones and a smile which was a lot different but pretty much the same._

_Blonde Tzuyu was smiling when she turned her head to look at her._

_Tzuyu couldn't believe it, it was really her. She seemed older and taller._

_"Tzuyu,"_

_"Yeah?" this is so weird._

_"I know this is weird," and they both chuckle, "but do you remember the woman we met at the swing when we were five?"_

_Tzuyu tried to remember but she couldn't remember the woman's face clearly. "I think so."_

_"She gave us sisters. Eight to be exact."_

_Then everything came rushing back to Tzuyu, "I wanted sisters who would play with me and shower me with kisses on my birthday."_

_"That's right. We got our wish, Tzuyu. We got it."_

_Tzuyu was suddenly confused. "When?"_

_"It's our birthday wish." but older Tzuyu's face suddenly fell sullen._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Everything has a price."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"The wish we made. Mom was right."_

_The other Tzuyu started to cry. No sound, just tears that wouldn't stop falling._

_"I'm not following-"_

_"If the tradition ends, things will fall apart."_

_"What tradition?"_

_"The one you made."_

_"I didn't make any. I don't have any traditions."_

_Older Tzuyu gently grabbed her hands and cradled them in hers, "I miss these warm hands."_

_Tzuyu tried to pry away her hands from the other her. It took her a lot of effort to free herself._

_"The wish comes at a cost, Tzuyu. Everything does."_

_She suddenly felt a shiver run down her back and arms._

_A voice grabbed Tzuyu's attention from the distance and Tzuyu immediately turned her head to look for the owner of that voice._

_"Tzuyu, the wish comes at a price. Everything does."_

_Then voices suddenly started interlapping with each other. The sound of laughter, music, and voices of people chanting her name._

_Tzuyu tried to cover her ears but the voices grew louder, almost to a deafening degree._

_Her head started to hurt and an unbearable pain gathered in her chest. It felt too real, almost constricting that she grabbed for her neck when breathing became difficult._

_Instead of her neck, Tzuyu found cold fingers tightly wrapped around it._

Suddenly, she sat up from her bed, covered in sweat. Her blanket falling to her waist.

Tzuyu got up, disregarding putting on slippers, and went straight to the kitchen. She took a tall glass and filled it to the brim with water, downing it in one go.

She raised her hand to her cheek and felt her hair sticking to her sweat dampened skin. Then she realized how cold her hands were.

_"I miss these warm hands."_

Her hands gripped the kitchen counter as she shut her eyes closed, tightly, trying to remember her dream and at the same time trying to forget about the last few moments of it like a nightmare.

She refilled her glass before going back to bed. She knew she had to be up in a few hours so she tried her best to get back to sleep.

Tzuyu slipped into a space of halfway asleep and halfway awake. When suddenly, she could hear people chanting their names over and over again as if she was underwater.

_"I'm Nayeon, Yoo Jeongyeon, Momo-chan, Sana-chan, Park Jihyo, Mina-chan, Kim Dahyun, Son Chaeyoung, Chou Tzuyu..."_ and the voices trailed off.

The chants grew fainter but Tzuyu kept count. Nine...nine names.

Tzuyu was physically and mentally exhausted and eventually fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it Fate or is it still a nightmare?

Tzuyu couldn't shake off her dream for days. It felt too real but the scary part was that Tzuyu was starting to think it really meant something and there's a tiny part in her that 'hoped' it was real.

She knew it was impossible and hoping would lead to nothing but heartbreak.

She's gotten closer to a lot of them during the show and losing them one by one hurt too much.

It was elimination day and Tzuyu was anxious and terrified.

Before going on stage, a stylist went over to Tzuyu to fix her make up a bit.

"Don't be nervous," the stylist says casually to Tzuyu without looking at her while fixing her foundation, "you're going to be fine."

"Thank you." she couldn't hide the nerves in her voice.

Tzuyu looked the stylist in the eye and found a friendly smile in her.

"We're rooting for you, number 9." and the stylist leaves her a wink before walking off.

That triggered something in Tzuyu. Could she be the same stylist before the first episode started?

She ran after the stylist and grabbed her arm.

"Unnie, why am I number 9?" Tzuyu was breathless, grasping for answers to questions she doesn't even know she needed to ask.

"Because that's what Fate has for you Tzuyu."

Now Tzuyu was more confused than ever.

"What does that mean?"

"You asked for sisters, Tzuyu. You wanted eight sisters and fate has heard your wish."

Tzuyu dropped the others arm as if it were burning her.

"Who are you? Who told you about that?" She was absolutely sure she never told a single soul about that wish.

"You did. At the swing when you were five." the stylist, if she even was that, was smiling fondly at a bewildered Tzuyu.

She didn't know what to say. She didn't have to say anything because a stage manager grabbed her arm and told her to get back in position since everyone was going on stage.

Tzuyu turned her head to look back at the woman but she was nowhere in sight.

She felt sick to her stomach on top of the confusion she was going through.

Something wasn't right and she didn't know if she was just exhausted or everything was a dream.

* * *

Tzuyu closed her eyes tightly. She wasn't going to be eliminated this round but of course, someone will be. A friend was going to be sent home.

The chant rang in her head. She counted. Nine.

The feelings felt real.

_"Because that's what Fate has for you Tzuyu."_

She opened her eyes when a name was called and the chanting of names in her head stopped abruptly.

_"Because that's what Fate has for you Tzuyu."_

It wasn't. It wasn't real. Fate wasn't real. The chant was broken the moment a name was called and it broke the number.

Number 3 was gone.

The nightmares might've stopped coming in her sleep but Tzuyu felt splintered in the current nightmare she was living in.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading Tzuyu's Wish.
> 
> If you're a fan of TWICE, you probably have an idea about where this story is headed to.
> 
> I've been playing around with true events and incorportating them into this story but with the question of "What if Tzuyu is doing this because she actually has a secret, she's doing this because she needs to and if she doesn't, there'll be grave consequences."
> 
> And that's how this story was born.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this and perhaps you'd like to stick around and see how the story unfolds.
> 
> For updates, you can follow me on twitter - twitter.com/twicesgrey
> 
> Thanks for stopping by!


End file.
